Alec Schuler, chef owner of Tangerine and Arugula of Boulder, is building his menu for his appearance at Table’s Great Roads to Great Chefs series around “awesome Italian wine.” If you decide to attend this Friday or Saturday, you will also be served calamari, rabbit, seafood stew, local beef, “a few delightful Italian cheeses, and lots of veggies (prepared) in super tasty ways,” Schuler said.

Although the exact menu is kept secret until it’s served, the fare may reflect his personal eating habits. “I began eating starch-light about two years ago and I feel as good as ever, at age 41!” Schuler loosely follows the paleo diet, limiting his starch and cheese, with lots of vegetables and “good fats.” He also limits animal proteins in his personal diet. In his two Boulder establishments, “you can eat this way with a little creative ordering and substitutions,” he said, “like asking for extra veggies instead of potatoes, or toast, etc.”

This commitment to health extends to Schuler’s personal life: he loves spending time in the mountains and is an avid hiker, biker, and skier. “I bike everywhere,” he said, “In fact, my wife and I only have one car. This keeps me in shape.”

Schuler was born and raised in New York and is a graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder and Manhattan’s Natural Gourmet Institute. As the son of immigrant European parents Schuler has travelled the world extensively, which has “strongly influenced my outlook on world cuisines,” he said.

“I have always loved eating food,” Schuler said. When he was 28, having worked as a server and busser in restaurants for years, he wanted to open his own restaurant. So a year later, he attended culinary school and then cooked for eight years before opening Arugula Bar e Restaurante in 2009. The name of the establishment is a nod to the medicinal benefits, long recognized in the Mediterranean basin, of arugula.

“The rich, zesty and slightly sweet flavor (of arugula) combined with its long history and healthy attributes symbolizes our restaurant,” said Schuler. Arugula is fine dining, serving Northern Italian cuisine “with an underlying theme of healthy,” he said. In 2011, he opened Tangerine, a breakfast restaurant.

“Tangerine happened because of the opportunity presented by the restaurant next door going out of business,” he said. “I love breakfast and felt there was a big opportunity in Boulder to create a breakfast restaurant of Tangerine’s caliber.”

Both of his restaurants are hugely popular: last year, Tangerine won the reader’s choice Boulder Daily Camera awards for best breakfast and best brunch. Arugula has also been recognized in the “best” and “runner-up” categories over the years “for things like Italian, Vegetarian, Romantic,” Schuler said.

Also in 2013, Arugula was included in the Forbes “Top 10 Wholesome US Restaurants” list which cited the restaurant’s elegance, perfect service, commitment to local food-sourcing and sustainability, and its gluten-free and vegetarian options.

Denver’s premier magazine, 5280, recognized Arugula as one of the best new restaurants of 2009, and Schuler himself earned the Colorado Culinary Award of Excellence in 2011. This award, given by the Colorado Chefs Association, a chapter of the American Culinary Federation, is given to only four chefs in the state each year. In addition, Edible Front Range presented Schuler with the “Local Hero Award” in 2010.

The ingredient Schuler uses most is extra virgin olive oil. “It is the primary cooking fat in both restaurants and personally, I drown all savory food with it by applying it raw at the table.”

Schuler’s professional philosophy is to serve “wonderful and healthy foods at my two restaurants,” he said, “and my mission is to educate people how fine-tuning your diet and food can lead to significant health improvements.

“It’s that simple.”

For this series of culinary events at Table, at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, each guest chef will be given complete creative control of their five-course meal and reception menus, including wine and cocktail pairings. It will be held in the Lodge, an intimate venue with onsite lodging. The event is open to 20 people per night, 40 for the weekend, and costs $100 per person plus tax and gratuity. To make a reservation, or to find out more about the visiting chefs and lodging/dining packages, visit http://stanleyhotel.com/table or call 970-577-4160.